Well, I finally made a decision. Today I decided to go ahead and try to cut out the bent rail at the top of the rear quarter panel where the top rests. It was pretty mangled on the replacement tub that I bought and I’ve been going back and forth on if I should try to fix the existing panel or just buy a new one.
The old tub (the one still sitting on the frame) is actually in good shape at the top of the quarter but the bottom is completely rusted through so I’d have to keep my patch to just the top.
I’m sure you’re asking, “Why don’t you just make one?” and the answer there is pretty easy. I don’t know how. It’s a curved piece with multiple angles and surfaces and if I were to attempt it I’m sure it would take a very long time and likely still not be as good as buying a replacement. That being said I’m either buying or cutting off my replacement piece.
At this point I figured I would try cutting off the corner from the old tub since it’s mostly trash anyway and if I do screw up then I can buy a replacement panel and go back to option #1 later… and if it works then I save about $100.
In the end my replacement, while not perfect, will work for my purposes. It meets my 1/8″ body filler requirement and it matches up in shape pretty well. It turned out pretty nice for a first timer on this sort of patch.